Welcome to my literacy narrative. this is a quick writing about me learning as I grew up.
Eberge Dumay
Professor Brener
English Comp 110
September 19, 2022
Literacy Narrative
As a child, I wasn’t brought up with much. I was born in Haiti, and my family wasn’t necessarily poor, but we weren’t rich either. My primary forms of entertainment were playing soccer and tag with my friends from school. Unlike most kids, I wasn’t raised with iPads, TVs, and smartphones. All that changed when I moved to the US. I was exposed to a new form of entertainment: cartoons, and Tv. My parents forced me to watch TV because they believed it would help me learn English. As much as I hate to admit it, they weren’t wrong. I was able to speak English fluently after just a few months of living in the US. While I started watching cartoons to learn English, I learned a lot more. I learn that cartoons were not only for children but for adults as well. I’ve learned that cartoons are informational to adults just as much as they are to children. Of the many shows, I watched the ones that stood out to me most are Wild Kratts and The Powerpuff Girl. Although these are “children” shows, I still learn from them as an adult. As a child, I missed many hidden messages and information watching these shows. Now as an adult, I’m able to look back and realize that these shows were not only informational to children but to adults as well.
The idea that “what’s made for kids is for kids, and what’s for adults is for adults,” is an opinion that many have. Many fail to realize that kid shows are quite educational to adults as well. Of these shows, my favorite was Wild Kratts. Wild Kratts is a show featuring two brothers who go out on crazy adventures in different environments and ecosystems and with the help of technology can transform into any animal using their DNA. The main antagonists in the show, are Zach Varmitech, Donita Donata, and Chef Gourmand, and each has different ways that they negatively impact the animals. Zach uses tech to control the animals, Donita uses the animals for fashion, And Chef Gourmand uses the animals as food for his kitchen. All these are representations of how we humans are affecting the animals and their ecosystems. The use of endangered animals as delicacies around the world, or using animal skin, and their body parts for fashion all affect the natural flow of the ecosystems they inhabit. Wild Kratts thought me about the importance of saving the environment and the animals and plants within that environment. As a kid, I didn’t care about saving animals or care about pollution, or deforestation. I care about what animal they’ll transform into, and the next adventure awaits. As an adult, I can understand that not only were they teaching about animals and their ecosystems, but they were also teaching the impact that we humans have on the environment. The show has helped me to become more eco-friendly and help out in any way possible to protect the environment and the living things within it.
In addition to Wild Kratts, one show I learned a lot from as an adult is The Powerpuff Girls. The show is about three little girls who have superpowers and fight evil. Now on the surface level, the show teaches about fighting crime and doing the right thing, but to me, there was more. As a child watching cartoons I noticed a lot of male superheroes in comparison to female superheroes. Now, this does not necessarily matter for me, but all the females that I was raised around had limited female superheroes roles models to look up to. I as a boy had more than enough male superheroes to look up to. Not only did the Powerpuff Girls teach about being nice, kind, and doing the right thing, but it also allowed many younger females to have role models to look up to. While that may not affect me, it does affect those around me, and I’m able to understand this now as an adult.
In conclusion, I started watching cartoons to learn English, but I ended up learning a lot more. I ended up learning about the ecosystem, and the living/non-living things within it. I also learn the power of teamwork and being kind. Although cartoons are advertised for children, even adults can learn from them. Cartoons go further than just animations across the screen, they serve a purpose in the education of all age groups.
